The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-03-18
A PHANTOM OR JOKE?

handsome widow, she cannot have
escaped your eye at opera or theatre,
apt as she is to be the guardian of a
Covey Of chatterers, who range from
the beauty raved about ten years ago
to the latest infant phenomenon of
the private dancing classes. She is
sought for her own sake quite as rluCh
as for her surroundings by all men
who love womanliness unaffected and
unspoiled.
Standing near her as she received
the last Corners and babe farewell to
the earliest of the birds OF flight, we
had time to exchange a few notes on
the scene before US.
what am Ito do?" she was saying.
1.-THE men nowadays won't talk to q
woman unless it is tete-a-tete, OBJ
serve how cross that youth looks
when Tommy Moore comes up and
Joins in the conversation. Isn't it
ridiculous? He will edge away in a
moment, looking supremeIy lofty and
disgusted."
Perhaps" answered, "that comes
from the fact that women nowadays
don't know how to entertain several
men at once"
"Oh, of counsel Always the fault of
rs poor women"
mo; l mean no gibe, and it may be
mutual. Conversation such as it must
have been sixty years ago does not
sxist any more. myself know some
Wboinherit the traditions ofthepast."
Thank you kindly''-she dropped
ns a Curtssy.
"But seriously, the women will not
take the trouble. Look there! Miss
Raiston Is considered q very clever
ETR-in Pkiladelphia-yet she deliber-
ately turns her back on two men and
talks ~pointedly to Harry Hunter. We
know she does not care a straw for Har-
~ Hunter. Long ago he deserted her
Tor the younger and richer girls more
10 vogue than she, and yet in her con-
tracted world the cotillion leader is
king. We've both heard her opinion
of him. Don't you remember? 1t was
rs If he were a chicken impaled on a
FORK, and with each slice CT the knife
one virtue after another fell away
wing, breast, leg, merry-thought and
Rll-until the poor boy was brandish-
ID, as it we're, a wretched carcass be-
lore our faces"
"Uml The smile Of a chez Try
-e-c5 S:ST5 PoeUiusi d next
time"
There is Improvement in some
things" continued, 'notwith-
standing the dearth of con-
versation; dress, for instance. Wom-
en- nowadays do not all consider them
selves bound to dress alike. That be-
ing so, there is q hope that here and
there a women may study her pecul-
iarities and adapt her garments to
herself, and not TO the modiste's lay
figure. There is that delightful cos
tune of the First Empire, for instance,
which our grandmothers wore"
Mrs. de Siile gave a skeptical smile.
IF It 9 the indecency you like, I'm
sure there are dresses to-day that
ought to satisfy you"
"But it is not the indecency I like,
Tor / sec none in It'll Dress and no
dress are conventions. For Heavens
sake let as have onr conventions beau.
sifuIl"
Il forgive you" said the hostess,
turning to some departing guests.
= For arts sake is q good cry and
viii 90 far-if it is not used for q
cloak to baseness."
The long picture room where the
dance wen5 m was hung with paintings
that represented a deep purse rather
than q wide knowledge of art; bat
there was half q dozen pictures out oi
she hundred chat one might live with.
Gould one say that, | mased, OF the
people who gabbled shutfied and tWad-
dled below them, without ever casting
them a glance? Perhaps the allusion
to the dress Of the First Empire made
me alert to see what / would nothave
E0ted otherwise. But there across
the heads OF the social dervishes who
Whirled ia blind obedience to the Law
Of circular motion implanted In some
animals and all men, there, behind
khe palms on the deep gallery at the
and Of the room, sat a lady ia com.
plete Empire dress. Oddly enough
lha waa alone. The palm partially
soncealed her hand, and fan of The
Kind that Venice fabricated ia ths
.4st century With oonsummats tast.
~sheetually hid her face. / started